There is a growing awareness of the seriousness of diseases, like Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), being spread and the need for protection of those not exposed to such diseases. At times, there has been hysteria among parents and other students, who are afraid their children or they themselves will become infected from classroom and playground contact, when students with AIDS or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) have attended school. Also, persons who carry the herpes virus sometimes have lip sores which are usually not distinguishable from an ordinary canker sore or a fever blister by a lay person.
It is customary when we kiss to come in contact with another's lips, and in certain cultures, to follow with a kiss on the skin of each cheek; thus germs can be passed from one person to another. In keeping with one aspect of the invention, if casual contact is necessary and a kiss is appropriate, one can protect oneself from the germs present in saliva or other secretions which might be transmitted from kissing by using a kissing shield.
The present invention proposes a method and device in which a flexible membrane is used as a kissing shield to lessen one's chances of becoming infected by disease from casual contact. In the alternative, if a person is infected, the chances of transferring the infectious disease from one person to another could be reduced by use of a thin, resilient flexible, impervious membrane, preferably selected from the class of polyethylene, vinyl, and polypropylene materials, stretched over a frame or holder. This would lessen the spread of bodily fluids from one person to another when kissing with the end result of preventing the spread of viruses and diseases, such as canker sores, fever blisters, and AIDS, until there is a cure and prevention of the diseases. The advantages of a kissing shield over regular kissing will become apparent in consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawings wherein there is disclosed a preferred embodiment.
The kissing shield has both social and health benefits, if basic precautions, such as those one would engage in while using a condom to practice "safe sex", or as a dentist would use when he dons rubber gloves to prevent bodily fluids, such as blood and saliva from his patient, from spreading to his hands and thereby infecting him, are used. The kissing shield can be economically mass produced so that it could be easily disposed of after kissing a person and replaces with a new one.
The kissing shield is for people who desire to be cautious when in contact with another person as they kiss. Use of the kissing shield is convenient and practical. However, like most items we use when we must alter our habits, education is an important step. The kiss is one of the first forms of affection that we display to another. It seems only natural that we would start at a fundamental level and teach "safe kissing" before we teach "safe sex".
The kissing shield, if handled properly, will help people who want to do whatever they can while kissing to practice "preventive medicine" and ensure that disease is not passed from one person to another by proper sanitation or cleanliness of one or both parties. A person who might have a disease and a person who does not want to get the disease or a person who is being protected would take precautionary moves to help prevent the spread of diseases, such as AIDS, by first practicing "safe kissing".
A kissing shield is for casual kissing. It can be used especially by a politician who kisses babies.
It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide a simple, inexpensive kissing shield to be used when kissing mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-cheek thereby avoiding the necessity for skin contact with the person to whom affection is intended. It is another object of the invention to provide a means for removing the hesitancy a user may have in kissing another individual without sacrificing the effectiveness of the kiss. It is a further object of the invention to provide a means of preventing the transmission of germs or viruses from saliva or other secretions and the transfer of lipstick or other cosmetics when individuals are engaged in kissing. It is another object of the invention to provide a shield which does not need to be worn. It is a final object of the invention to provide a shield which is economical in construction, such that the device can be used once and thereafter disposed of. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.